Dealing with Disillusionment and Disappointment

Exodus 5

Jim Davis

A Detroit resident basement was being flooded from a flow of water coming from an abandon house next door. She asked city officials to stop the flow of water coming from the abandoned house. When workers arrived on the scene, they found an unusual situation. Someone had ripped out the kitchen sink, creating a stream of water that was finding its way into the lady’s basement. They had trouble, however, locating the shutoff valve for the water line. So they began digging a trench that ended in the woman’s yard, where they found a valve. But when they tried to turn it off, it broke, rupturing the line and cutting off her water. The woman ended up not only with a flooded basement, but also a broken waterline, a plumber’s repair bill for $2,000, and a large pit in what had been a carefully manicured lawn.

Sometimes when we call upon God for help things seem to go from bad to worse. Instead of solving our problems, the solutions we seek make them worse. That was true with the children of Israel in Egypt as we discover in the following verses.

Exodus 5:1-11
Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.’" Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go." Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword." But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!" Then Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working." That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: "You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies." Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’" (NIV)

God had called Moses from the burning bush. He had convinced him that he was the man to lead the Hebrews from Egypt. Moses had just met with the Hebrews. God revealed himself to them through signs and wonders. They had assured him that they were behind him all the way. Just when he thought that everything would be a cinch—things got worse.

Why would obedience to God’s command intensify Moses’ troubles? This is not exactly what we expect when God calls us to do his bidding. We think a willingness to go should eliminate difficulties. That is what Moses thought too. For the first time in his life Moses was living within the will of God. He was obeying God’s call. He was doing exactly what God told him to do—but things got worse.

Exodus 5:10-19
Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’" So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw." The Israelite foremen appointed by Pharaoh’s slave drivers were beaten and were asked, "Why didn’t you meet your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?" Then the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why have you treated your servants this way? Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people." Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks." The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day." (NIV)

Moses finds himself caught between the increased labor demands of his brethren and the powerful Pharaoh. Nothing is worse than having your problems politicized. Nothing makes problems more difficult to solve than religious politics. When problems become political those with the majority of the votes usually silence the voice of God.

Exodus 5:19-21
The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day." When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, and they said, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." (NIV)

The circumstances seemed overwhelming. The Hebrews lost sight of God. They begin to question one another and to question God’s wisdom. When things didn’t get better for Moses he lost sight of God’s promises.

Exodus 5:22-23
"Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.’"

Moses expressed his disillusionment to God. This was one of those "I told you so" moments. Moses was probably rehearsing in his mind what he had told God at the burning bush. I told you that I wasn’t the man for the job. I did exactly what you told me to do, but it didn’t work. It only made things worse. He is asking himself how on earth was he going to get out of this one. The Pharaoh won’t listen, and the Hebrews are outraged. Every eye in Egypt, from the Pharaoh in Egypt to the lowliest slave in Goshen was focused on Moses as the problem. Even Moses sees himself as the problem.

When things go From Bad to Worse

There must be a Murphy’s Law, which says, "When things can’t get any worse, they will!" This seems especially true when we think God’s promises should eliminate our troubles. Moses had lost the first skirmish with Pharaoh, but he thought he had lost the war. Actually, Moses hadn’t even lost the skirmish. God was only setting Pharaoh up for the fall. We know this because we already know the rest of the story, but Moses had no clue as to the outcome.

God never told Moses there wouldn’t be difficulties. God warned Moses that Pharaoh would harden his heart. Somehow, Moses expected to march right up to Pharaoh and receive his request. Why shouldn’t Pharaoh listen, after all God was involved in what he was doing? But that is not what God promised Moses. Moses should have expected his troubles to intensify.

In a day when underprivileged means not having remote control for your color television set its hard to deal with the real disappointments in life. We can make things even worse when we have unrealistic expectations. Often our expectations exceed God’s plan. We get so caught up in seeking to live a comfortable lifestyle that we lose sight of reality. We believe our God should be a God that makes our lives comfortable.

It is hard for us to feel the presence of God when our unrealistic expectations aren’t met. We may know ever so clearly that we are doing God’s will. But when things don’t go as we think they should we begin to question God’s wisdom, God’s presence and God’s goodness.

If you feel God has disappointed you, maybe you need to take a hard look at what Scripture says. Jesus promised that we would know the truth and it would set us free. This is not a promise that everything will work out fine. Scripture talks about troubles and persecutions. If we expect more than God promises we are bound to be disappointed.

Realize that all Christians go through disappointment. Many of the psalms are cries of desperation. Let your expectations be determined more by what you see in Scripture than what you see on TV.

Understand that disappointment comes as a result of believing Satan’s deceptions. The answer to disillusionment is to set our eyes firmly on what God says and to bring our expectations and thoughts in line with that truth. Recognize that God has not promised us a perfect life. This world is just temporary. God wants us to focus on what is eternal. Perhaps he uses disillusionment to motivate us to set our hearts on Heaven.

Why shouldn’t we expect difficulties as we engage in the war between heaven and earth? In the book of Revelation, John spoke of Pergamum as the city where Satan’s throne was located. In Moses world, there is little doubt but what Satan’s throne was established in Egypt. It was from Egypt that Satan swayed the world with his demonic powers. Moses was facing the demonic powers of the world head on as he faced the Pharaoh.

The Pharaoh believed himself to be a god. The Pharaoh asks, "Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go?" The concept of gods in the ancient world was much different than our concepts. The ancient world believed that the most powerful people were more powerful because their gods were more powerful. It was evident to Pharaoh that his gods were more powerful than the Hebrew God, or else they wouldn’t be slaves. You can begin to see why the Pharaoh saw himself as deity. He sees the Hebrew’s God subject to him.

Why shouldn’t we expect onslaughts from the devil when we choose to do what is right. The moment we decide to obey is the moment troubles intensify. The church today is God’s Israel to fight the forces of evil. The church is God’s frontline defense. Why shouldn’t Christians expect conflict when they live on the front battle lines?

Matthew 10:25-28
It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (NIV)

Jesus encourages us to stay focused on God’s power and plan. A young boy was trying to lift his rather large bicycle after it had fallen over but was having little success. His father noticed the struggle and went outside. He asked his son, "Are you using all your strength?" The son replied that he was. The father responded, "No you’re not, you haven’t asked me to help."

We Must Focus on God’s Covenant

When things go from bad to worse we must rely on God’s strength and wisdom. When everyone is crying out to God in disappointment, God reminds the Israelites of the promises made to Abraham. In essence, God renews his covenant with them. He reminds them that he is their God.

Exodus 6:1-8
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country." God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. "Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’" (NIV)

God seeks to focus the Hebrews on his covenant promises to Abraham. Too often, we overlook God’s covenant with us because we try to make our own covenants with God. We say, "Lord, remove my disappointments and I will believe in you." We say, "Lord give me a healthy baby and I will serve you for the rest of my life." "Lord let me get well and I will serve you." "Lord, make me successful and I will serve you." "Lord, let me win the lottery and I will give half of it to the church."

Restricting God to the limits of our wisdom limits our possibilities. We think it would be more comforting to us because it would put us in control of the situation. Only God knows how to work through the impossibilities we face. God is the one who sets the conditions of the covenant promises.

God ways are higher than our ways. Who can know the mind of the Lord?

God is saying, "If you follow me, this is what I will do." Faith says, "Lord I accept your plan. I will do whatever you say. I will accept the consequences, because I know you know what is best. When faith allows God to finish his work there will be no doubt as to who God is and what he can do. God told Moses, "I will make you as God to the Pharaoh." (7:1-2)

When things become impossible God’s glory is always revealed. The stage is set for God’s revelation of himself. God is about to reveal himself through those impossibilities. All of Egypt, and the world, will come to know God as he works through the impossibilities to accomplish his will. Each will be forced to know God as never before.

"I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty . . . "Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God . . ." The word "know" in these verses comes from a Hebrew word, which means more than knowledge. They will see for the first time that God is able to fulfill his promises. God was in the process of making himself known as never before.

Forty years later Rahab the harlot rehearsed to the twelve spies how God had worked in Egypt. She saw what God was doing in Egypt.

Joshua 2:9-11
"I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. (NIV)

God has the Pharaoh, Moses and the Hebrews right where he wants them. They see nothing but impossibilities. The Pharaoh sees Moses and the Hebrews in an impossible circumstance. He can’t think of any possible way they can be delivered. Moses sees himself caught in the impossible quagmire between Pharaoh and the Hebrews. The Hebrews find it impossible to meet the Pharaoh’s expectation in making more bricks. They see no hope for deliverance. Besides this, the eyes of the world are looking on.

God made a spectacle out of Pharaoh. The world had been watching God for forty years as he led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the desert. The world knew that God was taking his stand on planet earth to fight the forces of evil. Discerning souls knew the outcome. Discerning souls came to know God.

Dwight L. Moody said it this way: "Trust in yourself, and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you; trust in money, and you may have it taken from you; trust in reputation, and some slanderous tongue may blast it; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity."

Conclusion:

God wants us to see ourselves included in his promises. God’s promise wasn’t just to the Hebrew nation. It was extended to each of them individually. When God reiterates his promise to Moses, God traces the genealogy of Jacob’s son Levi down to Moses in the remainder of chapter 6. It was as if God was saying, "Moses, I want you to know the covenant I made with Abraham includes you personally. I had you in mind when I made those promises to Abraham."

God’s covenant with us doesn’t promise us a life with no disappointment. He promises us victory in spite of our disillusionment.

When trouble strikes we often develop an attitude that blinds us to God’s promises. We often lose sight of who God is. We are like the salesman I read about. One dark rainy night a salesman had a flat tire on a lonely road. But to his dismay he had no lug wrench. Seeing a nearby farmhouse, he set out on foot. Surely the farmer would have a lug wrench, he thought. But would he even come to the door? And if he did, he’d probably be furious at being bothered. He’d say, "What’s the big idea getting me out of bed in the middle of the night?" This thought made the salesman angry. Why, that farmer is a selfish old clod to refuse to help me. Finally the man reached the house. Frustrated and drenched, he banged on the door. "Who’s there?" a voice called out from a window overhead. "You know good and well who it is," yelled the salesman, his face red with anger. "It’s me! And you can keep your old lug wrench! I wouldn’t borrow it if it was the last one in the county."

Focusing on God will allow us to develop an attitude conducive for God’s deliverance. It will help us see God as he really is. As we look back to Egypt today we can come to know God’s power and willingness to deliver us from the bondage of our personal sin.

Today, God has already made a covenant with each of us through Jesus Christ. We must accept that covenant through faith before God can make us victorious over life’s disappointment and disillusionment.

God invites us to trust him on the good days and the bad ones, when we are enjoying every moment of life or when we are discouraged to the point of depression. His promise is that he will never abandon us, that our faith will never be fruitless, that he will work everything to the long-term good of those who trust him. But trusting in God against the appearances of the moment is so hard! The challenge, you will remember from Proverbs 3:5 is this: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." But we tend to panic in a crisis and fall back on our own ingenuity and devices.